


A Shot of Watermelon

by intheKnickoftime



Category: Purple Hyacinth (Webcomic)
Genre: Awkwardness, F/M, Fluff, PINING. IDIOTS, Secret Missions (barely), They’re just staking out a bar my dudes, hmmmmm, like very mild/barely mentioned, mild alcohol comsumption, what could POSSIBLY go wrong (or right??)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:55:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24518032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intheKnickoftime/pseuds/intheKnickoftime
Summary: “Do you trust me?” Kym said, gold-brown eyes flicking up to meet his. Will felt both trapped and soothed by her gaze.A midnight kywi drabble.
Relationships: William Hawkes/Kym Ladell
Comments: 7
Kudos: 73





	A Shot of Watermelon

Will hadn’t even known it was possible to get drinks with a shot of watermelon.

And yet there Kym Ladell sat across from him, sipping on a drink with just that. Will stared down into his own (empty) glass, hunching his shoulders. 

“Loosen up a bit, Willame,” Kym said, grinning cheerfully and toasting her glass to him. “The goal is to _not_ stand out, yes? Some people go to bars to brood- but not this joint! We are here to drink and be merry!”

That wasn’t all, of course. Will met Kym’s eyes and saw the meaningful gleam behind them. They were staking the bar out for potential information- and had to blend in to do so. He schooled his face into what he hoped was an appropriately cheerful look, grinning across the table.

“That’s more like it,” Kym beamed, getting to her feet. “Care for a refill?”

“Sure,” Will agreed, standing to follow her. How she had this much energy at this late hour was beyond him- she was nearly bouncing, even in her heeled shoes and slim blue dress, flashing smiles at anyone and everyone. He followed her through the thronging tables, praying that nothing would get spilled. He was rather fond of these clothes, and beyond that a spill would _not_ help him and Kym avoid notice.

Kym and Will wound up standing together, pressed shoulder to shoulder in the only space they could find- all the stools were taken, and other patrons lingered between them, sipping their drinks and chatting listlessly. All of them seemed to wear the same easy smile.

And then- Will met one gaze that was not sparkling and mirthful, but sharp and calculating. He hurriedly tore his gaze away, looking straight ahead, then pretending to look for the bartender to judge the whereabouts of their drinks, and then finally at Kym.

“We’re being watched,” he muttered, leaning closer to whisper in her ear. Kym went rigid, her tawny eyes darting to meet his, then over his shoulder.

“So we are,” she noted, a smile gracing her face again. Will wished he could hide his own worry that easily. Despite the thick crowd in the bar, he couldn’t help but feel exposed to the eyes of that watchful man. He could almost feel that dark stare burning into the back of his neck-

“Will,” Kym said, softly and yet loud enough to cut through his scattered thoughts. One of her hands had come up to grip his shoulder, and there was something unreadable in her eyes. Will suddenly felt on edge in an entirely different way.

“It’s okay,” Kym continued, her grip flexing slightly. “He’s still watching us, but-” she paused, and Will told himself that it was just the alcohol making his pulse jump when she bit her lip thoughtfully.

“Do you trust me?” Kym said, gold-brown eyes flicking up to meet his. Will felt both trapped and soothed by her gaze. She might have meant it lightly, but even in his slightly muddled state he paused to seriously consider the question.

_Did_ he trust her?

 _No,_ snorted the irritable, tired part of his brain, remembering vividly all the times she had bothered him. A particular episode of being decked abruptly onto the office floor came to mind.

 _Yes,_ sang the rest of him, an overwhelmingly larger part, remembering her earnestness and laughter and her presence at his shoulder on countless crime scenes. He didn’t have to think twice about it.

“Yeah.” The words escaped his lips, echoing his thoughts, and Kym’s momentary silence made Will feel tense, like a dancer waiting for a cue, or a runner waiting for the start.

“Then don’t kill me for this,” Kym breathed, suddenly impossibly close, and then her lips met his and _there was that cue_ and Will had missed it, landing wrong-footed. He felt like he was falling. His heart lurched; he felt like he was drowning burning _melting_ into her- or at least, longing to. But shock kept him rigid, eyes flaring with surprise and then slowly sliding shut as Kym pressed herself gently against him. He hadn’t known she could be this gentle. The hand at his shoulder had slid up to cup the back of his neck. Will’s hands clenched, one on the countertop and the other at his side, not moving but suddenly wanting to-

-and then Kym was pulling back, and Will’s eyes darted open to see her glancing over his shoulder, apparently relieved. 

“He’s stopped looking,” Kym breathed, her gaze flicking up to his and then skittering away again, her cheeks rosy from the heat of the bar and the alcohol and maybe embarrassment as well. Will’s own face was burning, his mouth slightly agape. It had been a ploy, a distractor. That was all, he thought, willing himself to stop blushing.

“Public displays of affection make people uncomfortable,” Kym offered by way of explanation, smiling crookedly. “I figured nobody would look twice at a pair of kissing drunks.”

“...I’m not drunk,” Will said, hating how breathless he sounded. That was a lie- he definitely felt intoxicated now, the briefest hint of watermelon on his tongue. Maybe watermelon wasn’t so bad after all, he decided.

“You- oh, would you look at that! We forgot our coats at the table!” Kym seemed not to have heard him. She was speaking just a bit too loudly, her cheeks still aflame. “I’ll just go… retrieve them. Wait here.” The briefest touch of his arm, and then she was slipping- _retreating-_ back through the crowd.

Will shook himself, as though that would make this burning sensation retreat from his skin.

No such luck. His pulse was leaping even more erratically now, and not just from the alcohol. He wanted to slap himself.

Before he could stop himself, one hand came up, touching his mouth absently, recalling the feel of Kym’s kiss. 

_What the hell just happened?_

He buried his face in his hands. The blush wasn’t going away.

**Author's Note:**

> I swore to myself I would write more Lauki, and then this idea came for my neck instead. sorry not sorry :)
> 
> Kym’s “public displays of affection” line is very obviously lifted from/inspired by the Winter Soldier. Hooray for hilariously awkward public scenarios!
> 
> I wrote this in one sitting on google docs on my phone. kill me now (but not actually bc I like life and also writing for this fandom gahahah)  
> *Slight morning edit for coherency and word choice. Snipped a few run-on sentences and such.
> 
> Kudos and comments = watermelon monstrosity drinks, which I will bravely attempt in Kym’s honor.


End file.
